The German MAB National Committee
Each country that participates in the MAB Programme establishes a committee to serve as the connecting link between the national and international levels. This usually takes the form of a National Committee. There are currently 158 National Committees in UNESCO’s 194 member states.
Logo MAB National Commitee Germany
© MAB-Geschäftsstelle
In Germany, the then Federal Environment Minister appointed the National Committee for the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in 2024. The Committee comprises 20 experts from science and practice, all of whom have relevant experience in the thematic areas covered by the MAB-Programme. The current members of the Committee are appointed up to 2027.
The Committee is chaired by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), and managed by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).
Contact at BfN
MAB-Geschäftsstelle
The German MAB National Committee mandate
The German MAB National Committee is assigned the following tasks:
- Implement and further develop the interdisciplinary, intergovernmental UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme
- Advance Germany’s national contribution to the MAB Programme, notably:
- Continue to develop the criteria for the nomination and assessment of biosphere reserves in Germany
- Develop strategies for sustainable management practices in biosphere reserves
- Design concepts for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in biosphere reserves
- Evaluate biosphere reserves in Germany
- Explore opportunities to foster implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) under the MAB Programme
- Collaborate with UNESCO’s international MAB Programme bodies
Members of the German MAB National Committee
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| Dr. Stefanie Hedtkamp (Chairperson) | Head of Division N I 2 "Habitat Protection, Natura 2000" at BMUKN |
| Susanne Belting | Head of the German Federal Environmental Foundation DBU, Natural Heritage |
| Jan Peter Di Benedetto | Master's programme in Nutritional, Food and Consumer Science at Fulda University of Applied Sciences, MAB-Youth |
| Dr. Stefanie Eichiner | Chair of the ‘Biodiversity in Good Company’ initiative, Head of Sustainability Pfleiderer |
| Barbara Engels | Secretary of the German MAB National Committee, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation |
| Birgit Grauvogel | Executive secretary of Tourism Saarland |
| Thomas Habermann | Chief administrative officer of Landkreis Rhön-Grabfeld (BR Rhön) |
| Prof. Dr. Hubertus Job | University of Würzburg, Chair for Geography and Regional Research |
| Adrian Johst | Executive Secretary of Naturstiftung David of BUND Thüringen |
| Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Knieling | Chair of Regional Development at the University of Hafen City Hamburg |
| Karl-Heinz Lieber | Head of the Nature Conservation Department at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector |
| Prof. Dr. Vera Luthardt | Chair for Vegetation science and Applied Plant Ecology at the Eberwalde University for Sustainable Development |
| Helga May-Didion | Abteilungsleiterin Naturschutz im Ministerium für Umwelt, Klima, Mobilität, Agrar- und Verbraucherschutz Saarland |
| Dr. Lutz Möller | Vice-Secretary General of the German Commission for UNESCO (DUK) |
| Prof. Dr. Heike Molitor | Chair for Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development |
| Prof. Dr. Johannes Prüter | Former Manager of the BR Elbe River Landscape in Lower Saxony |
| Jens Rasim | Gut Gallin Organic Farming |
| Prof. Dr. Irene Ring | Chair for Ecosystem Services at the Technical University of Dresden, International Institute Zittau (IHI) |
| Lothar Schmid | Head of Divion for Nature Conservation at the Institute for Federal Real Estate (BImA) |
| Marla Schulz | MAB-Youth |